Credits

From Ma'an to Wadi Musa via a decrepid Ford; here the Bedouins with their horses, plus a military escort awaited us.

The formidale mountains of Arabia Petraea still loomed miles away.

Approaching the ancient Nabatean City, the only entrance through the mountains is a two mile long gorge, so narrow that but a single rider can pass.

Two thousand years ago this narrow gorge resounded to the tramp of Trajan's conquering legions.

The cliffs on each side practically meet--and the gorge is always dark.

And on each side, aloft and wild, Huge cliffs and toppling crags were piled

Here is the entrance into Petra, "the rose-red city half as old as time"

And at the entrance to the Ski stands the rock-hewn El Khazne, or Pharaoh's Treasury- a Temple to Isis.

Even more beautiful than the Temple of Theseus at Athens or the Forum at Rome. A rose-red temple carved like a cameo from the face of the mountain

Camp Kahop in the shadow of Kasr Fir'aun.[?]

Except for wandering Bedouins, less than 80 persons received governmental persmission in 1929 to journey to Petra and view these splendors of the past.

All the tombs of this "City of Ghosts" have elaborate facades but within they are simple and austere

The colorings of the rocks of Petra are unequalled-- covering the entire lost city it is undoubtedly a freak of nature.

Observe the delicate tracery of the rocks which is in every color of the rainbow, from the darkest shades to the lightest of hues.

This weathered corniced tomb is remarkable for its beautiful coloring

The Amphitheatre at Petra. Ruin and silence reign where plaudits once cheered the city.

Mute but eloquent testimony to the Master Builders of bygone Petra.

The tombs, more than 750 in number, are the most important of the ruins; they are out of the rock-walls on every side.

From these mountain tops Amaziah, king of Israel hurled ten thousand of the inhabitants to the canons below

The "Unfinished Temple Tomb" is of special interest, as showing how the Petraeans sculptured their rock-hewn tombs from the top downwards without the aid of scaffolding.

On the top-most mountain stand the crowning achievement of the lost races-- the Temple of El-Dier [al-Deir Monastery]

The tall men standing in the doorway of this grand edifice look like minute puppets.

El-Dier is one and a half times the height of Westminster Abbey-- and carved out of the living rock!

El-Dier, or the Convent, is surrounded by a gigantic urn, and decorated with the head of Medusa

And then --- it snowed in Petra for the first time in over thirty years

The one desert road leading out of Petra's gorge and back to Ma'an became impassable.

But the military head of the district came to our assistance.

With horses, guides and armed escorts we traversed 35 miles over snow covered mountains, back to Ma'an.

The solider on the right offered his horse - but not his rifle - in exchange for Kate!
(The bargain was not concluded)

The weekly train back to civilization via Amman to Damascus 400 miles away had left the day previous; so a gasoline trolley was pressed into service. Some whoopee ride!

Nearing Damascus, "Star of the East"

The public life of the city is concentrated in the miles of bazaars; famous for their extent and variety.

Question:
Which carries the bigger load, the man or the camel?

An old Syrian palace [Likely Azm Palace]

The great Omanjade Mosque of Damascus [Umayyad Mosque]

The Overland Desert Mail and caravan route to Baghdad across the great Syrian Desert starts at the Victoria Hotel. {French gendarme uniformed men strolling away from camera, taken during French mandate rule]

The cars travel in convoy with armed escorts.

Only occasional Bedouins and the oasis of Rubta Wells break the monotony of the 700 mile desert journey

Fallujah on the Iraq Frontier, where the Euphrates River is crossed on a pontoon bridge.

The caravan cars are prepared for any emergency, from hostile attacks to breakdowns and impassable roads

Baghdad on the Tigris "City of a Thousand and One Nights"

The Tomb of {Sitt] Zobaidah [or Zummarud Khatun] and the Iman Azim Mosque.[Possibly Zumurrud Khatun Mosque]

In the home of Harun-al-Rashid where story-tellers in turbans drone the racy, unexpurgated tales of Arabian nights.

The Golden Mosque at Kodhemain [Al-Kadhimiya Mosque] during a sand-storm

Baghdad, the home of the Arabian Nights is left behind

On the banks of the River Tigris is the imposing ruin of the Arch of Chosran at Ctesiphon.

A score of centuries ago horse-drawn chariots of the Persian Kings rolled about this now ruined wonder of the architectural world.

The famous arch with its marvelous span of roof is all that remains of the great palace built A.D. 300 by the Persians

A marvel of architecture; built of small tiles this vaulted hall, 122 feet high, 83 feet wide and 164 feet long had stood more than 1700 years!

The ruins of ancient Babylon. Ishtar Gate and the remains of Nebuchadnezzar's palace, famous for its hanging gardens.

Here stood the great hall in which Belshazzar saw the vision of the Writing on the Wall which is recored in the Book of Daniel.

Stone "Lion of Babylon" amid its desolate surroundings For centuries it has dominated the ruins of Babylon.

Leaving Birs Nimrud (Borsippa), supposedly the site of the Tower of Babel we arrived at

Kish [ell al-Uhaymir] According to tradition, the first city to be founded after the flood

These excavations have proven that Kish flourished over 7000 years ago -- and unmistakeable signs of the great flood have been discovered.

Our car is attached at Hilla for Ur of the Chaldees.

And we take leave of our newly made friends.

The Ziggurant and ruins or Ur of the Chaldees-- the City of Abraham

Ur of the Chaldees and its 5000-year-old skyscraper, the Temple of the Moon God.

The High Commissioner of Iraq visits the ruins the same day.

From Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham set forth to go into the land of Canaan. Now it is the graveyard of a vanished civilization.

Me too!

Basra On the Persian Gulf-- home of Sinbad the Sailor

And along came Ruth

From Basra to Karachi via Imperial Airways (February 28th 1930)

The Imperial Airways liner "City of Karachi" which was to be our conveyance for three days arrives at the Shaibah (Basra) airdrome, via Baghdad and five days outbound from London for India.

Our friend Mr. Richard Roy Maconachie, His Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Kabul, on his way to the capitol of Afghanistan comes ashore before we join him on our flight to Persia.

The plane is fueled inspected and the giant motors tuned up

With reminiscences of a happy champagne party, Kahop bid good-by to their friends the pilots Rudd, White and Wilcockson -- and are off!

Thundering down the Euphrates delta primordial area of ooze slime and silence

At Buraim, some distance down the Persian Gulf we fly directly over the extensive oil refineries of the Khanaqin Turkish Oil Company.

The first part of the flight is over low-land which are a part of the delta of the Euphrates River but the country soon changes to one of mountainous character.

Arriving at Bushire [Bushehr] in Persia -- where we quartered for the night in an old, curious but fairly comfortable, Persian home. [? Again only aerial footage. No interiors]

The second day we winged our way from Bushire to Lingeh,[Bandar Lengeh] and thence to Jask, [Bandar-e Jask]traveling at a height of some 700 feet to clear the rugged peaks.

Ormuz,[Hormuz] reputed treasure isle of long ago, lifts its empty, oddly colored rock along the Persian littoral.

On such beaches ring-shaped Arab women in black toil over stinking piles of Bahrein [Bahrain] pearl shells. [? Only an aerial shot of the beach]

Sinbad tied to a roc's foot, flew over no stranger sights than we saw. Here is the very tip of Arabia, near the Strait of Hormuz, photographed from the height of a mile and a half.

At Jask, on our second night's halt, we met Mr. Van Lear Black of Baltimore, the Flying American Merchant en route from Holland to Tokyo.

Upon taking off the next morning we arranged an air rendezvous with the intention of photographing our planes in flight. Van Lear Black's machine is and object of curiosity to a large group of natives as he prepares to follow us.

An hour later Van Lear Black's plane overhauls us while we are high over the serrated peaks of the frowning Makran Coast Range.

Breakfast in Persia! (Jask)
Lunch in Baluchistan! (Gwadar)
Supper in India! (Karachi)[later in Pakistan].

The "City of Karachi" alights on the wasteless desert at Gwadar in British Baluchistan for refueling.

The Alpha and Omega of Transportation! Old ships of the desert and a modern ship of the air.

Speeding along the Makran Coast Range while over Ras Ormara in Baluchistan

While Messers Maconachie, Cole and Kahop are comfortable in the cabin of the plane

Approaching the harbor of Karachi -- India's large western seaport second in importance only to Bombay.

From where we commenced our ten weeks' trip through Central and Northern India"